Dual line component separation potential

When creating complicated images where I would like to animate components I find I need the body prior to component and the separation is not easy as single lines bond and upon delete more than just the line I wish to delete gets deleted.

Tolerance line plots. Perpendiculated gap set.

Once divided into components the shadow delete would be good x.

Are you translating your posts from another language? Your words are English but I cannot understand the sense at all. The forum is basically in English but many users here speak or understand other languages, so feel free to post in your own language if you need to.

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I am speaking English and I wished to have animated components.
When plotting on a surface the line is then connected to the surface.
If it were possible to have a tolerance set gap of parallel lines gap perpendicular to surface; equivalent to auto line follow, the movable part would be much faster and easier to accomplish.
The line that is upon the surface affects the design but is not necessary after animation is achieved, it is a mere shadow line.
I hope this is easier for you to understand.

as single lines bond and upon delete more than just the line I wish to delete gets deleted.

Use Groups and Components to keep geometry separated.

Easier said than done if you need body to reference component to.

My take is alan50 would like to a animate some components and wants to use a reference grid to help in positioning, but is having trouble placing and rotating the components. Does that sound correct, @alan50?

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Not a bad guess, I would like to create from scratch rather than do all my calculations and scan an image in.
If I have a multi component part that I wish to create on sketch up you seem to be suggesting that I do all the math work to start with and then draw the body structure around the components, when I actually need reference/guide plots that are temporary and upon delete the main component lines are not damaged.

some form of line priority.

I’m still just trying to understand your question. It’s not clear what you are trying to do. Maybe post the model and a screenshot or drawing with an explanation.

Sorry jim I have more than 1 post that comment was not relevant here.
Example of what I mean, imagine a horizontal stabiliser on an aircraft, it changes angle relative to fuselage.
To plot this kind of gap tolerance is a pain.
edit* fuselage to stabiliser has the gap I speak of.
I was trying to plot a helix that can come adrift from the cylinder it wraps to.

variable vane.skp (446.6 KB)

Hi @alan50!

I downloaded your model and read all of this thread, but agree with the others that I am still a little confused about what it is you are trying to accomplish. I think that you are looking for a way to draw a line on a surface, but have that line NOT break the surface. Is that true? If so, grouping the initial surface is the way to do it. I think that you want to animate the surface and the line together, which can be done by using another group. In SketchUp, you can have as many levels of nested groups as you want.

Also, is this intended to be in the Developers thread? Is this something that you are attempting to do via Ruby?

I have never used group so I will look into that, thank you.
I was designing component within component.
The body component was necessary for structural guide referencing.
Separating the 2 with a specific gap tolerance could enable the component to be animated.
I am having issues with the inability to delete surfaces within concentric rings also, I am attempting a new fan component at present.

A new feature is what I posted this in developer thread for.
Line follow tolerance gap set, in line selection rather than just draw or line.
Useful in curves also but double selection of tools I have not achieved yet.
I am not sure autocad has this feature yet , you could get a market advantage.

I see now what you are trying to accomplish. In the attached file I have broken your geometry down into a set of components. Open the outliner window to investigate the structure of the model.

If you edit one copy of the component named ‘vane’ the other three copies will be automagically updated at the same time

Best

variable vane v2.skp (553.7 KB)

Thank you. This issue I now have on this and other designs is how to create a surface.
I notice the curved blade is still something of lines and not material.

I am picking fault but that is in the hope of making things easier.
Zoom function on a curved surface should auto range through concentric geometries.
As this is a visual function and not a manufacture issue.
Although I am not a programmer it seems to me that the tangent is mathematically based not geometry follow.

Looked up the definition of planar but it did not say the average of parallel and perpendicular.
Top surface plane between bars would include tangent instead of perpendicular. Equal radial angles. Parallel radial angle for flat plane any other equals tangental curve.
Cylinder surface is opposing direction radial parallel tangent for top of line plot.
Such is thy Maya “and the lines become curves”. In this case curved surfaces xx